Sun Mu

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Sun Mu is a Korean painter who once worked as a propaganda artist in North Korea. Born in North Korea, he trained with the North Korean Army and later studied art in college. During a severe famine in the 1990s, he fled to South Korea, where he continues to paint. To protect his family, he uses the name Sun Mu and does not allow photos of his face.

His art uses a Socialist Realist style that resembles North Korean propaganda, and some paintings have been mistaken for official images. Critics note the works are satirical, often showing North Korean leaders in Western clothing. His best-known series is Happy Children, depicting North Korean children with the forced smiles he says they were taught at school.

A portrait of Kim Il Sung was removed from a Pusan biennale to avoid controversy over pro-communist art. An exhibition planned for Beijing in 2014 was canceled by Chinese authorities. He is the subject of the 2015 documentary I am Sun Mu by Adam Sjöberg.